


Remote

by pilindiel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Young Justice, Angst, Blue Beetle!Jean, Drama, Guilt, Impulse!Marco, JeanMarco as Bluepulse, M/M, POV Marco Bott, Young Justice AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 12:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11441079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pilindiel/pseuds/pilindiel
Summary: Thousands of thoughts blur through his mind in the span of a second, enraged and guilt ridden.  It’s wrong.  Wrong.  Everything about it is wrong.  It’s Jean’s voice and Jean’s body but it’s so wrong.





	Remote

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr, 06/28/2016
> 
> Remember in Young Justice season 2 when Bart literally put Jaime’s safety over the rest of the world ???

“Look, I know this missing key is important, but we need to focus on – ”

Blue Beetle’s voice washes over the team through the TV’s speakers and the room falls quiet.  Looks like the Reach press conference was an overwhelming success and with the popular Blue Beetle advocating for them, its no wonder.

Marco’s gloved fists ball at his sides, red leather cutting into the palms of his hands.  He’s vibrating with anger, his edges blurring as he tries to contain himself.  Everything about this scene is wrong.  That’s Jean’s voice and Jean’s body but it’s  _not Jean_  and the guilt and fury makes the speedster tense so badly he feels like his muscles are going to tear apart his uniform.  

Levi pauses the video on a still of the young hero’s masked face and it takes all of Marco’s resolve to stay where he is and not sprint all the way to Sina, strategy be dammed.  Behind the Beetle’s visor, even Jean’s eyes look distant and dull.  It’s sickening.  Blue’s tawny gaze is always full of life, energy, emotion.  Jean radiates it, even when he tries to shut himself out.  He feels so much for so many things and the absence of it now makes the speedster’s gaze harden.  It churns Marco’s stomach.  

Thousands of thoughts blur through his mind in the span of a second, enraged and guilt ridden.  It’s wrong.   _Wrong_.  Everything about it is wrong.  It’s Jean’s voice and Jean’s body but it’s  _so wrong_.  

His breathing is loud in his ears and he grits his teeth so tightly he swears he can taste blood.

They need to come up with a plan, need to get to him, need to save him he needs to be safe  _I need to save him_  –  There’s a silence in the room and it lets Marco’s mind race, but it doesn’t last nearly long enough.

The image burns him, makes his vision blur, and Marco grits his teeth tighter, blood roaring in his ears.  Stop it  _stop it_  get out of him get  _out_  leave him alone don’t hurt him don’t  _touch_  him he’s not yours stop hurting him give him back to me  _he’s mine_ \-  

Marco’s not even sure who speaks, but the words cut through the air like a bullet. “That’s a lot of good press for a traitor.”

Marco’s brain focuses.  Zeros in.  Sees  _red_.

The words that leave his lips are irate, accusatory.  He doesn’t pause to think about them as they shoot out.  There’s too much darkness.  Too much red.

“Hey!” he snaps, “Don’t blame Blue.  He’s just as much a captive of the Reach as we were.  We have to set him free!”  The speedster’s words thrash about the silent room, loud and poisonous.  Everyone’s eyes are on him now and the darkness clouding his mind seeps out at an alarming rate.  Marco takes a breath.  Everyone on the team knows the real reason he’s here – Marco couldn’t keep it a secret for long.  They know he came back to the past to stop the Reach Apocalypse.  They know he’s here to stop Blue Beetle.

And now they all know it’s not that simple.

His brown eyes widen and slowly, even for him, Impulse looks back at the television screen.  Blue and black stare back at him with the thinnest of smiles and the most vacant of eyes.  Marco’s stomach twists.  Impulse has never been a good liar. He always wants to talk, always accidentally spoils something, always wants to make friends and connect. Lying complicates things.  Destroys relationships.  Creates rifts. But the  _need_  to lie, to pretend like he didn’t just expose a section of his heart, arises all the same and he hastily adds the best thing he can think of.

“You know, before he conquers Earth and enslaves all mankind.”  It’s meant as a joke, a poor attempt at dark humor, but it sounds weak even to his own ears and everyone remains silent.  The pause was too long and too obvious, especially for a speedster.  They know.  If they didn’t pick it up before, they know the truth now.  Marco’s mission isn’t to stop the Reach.  It isn’t to save the world. It’s to save Jean.  Since they met it’s to save Jean: saving the struggling, angry, lost, terrified, perfect Jean.  Saving Jean’s hidden smiles and honest laughter.  Saving the blush to Jean’s cheeks when someone compliments him.  Saving the determined look he gets when they start missions.  Saving the wonderful, introspective look in his eyes Marco sometimes catches when the teenage hero thinks no one is watching.  Thankfully, Erwin takes his rushed additive as a cue to address the group and Marco lets his shoulders relax ever so slightly.  The attention’s diverted.  His gaze flicks for half a second back to the frozen television screen, ire building in his throat.  Impulse forces it back down.

There’s still a chance.  They can still get to him.  Jean Kirschstein can be saved.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! I have a couple more ideas in this universe but I'm taking a bit of a break so I can focus on my main projects. I might create a collection of these once I have the time!!!


End file.
